Proceedings of the International Cyanide Detection Testing Workshop

of samples required for analysis. Under this
contract several of the laboratories were
established. There were six laboratories
established and these were located in the
strategic areas of Palawan, Leyte, Davao,
Cebu, Zamboanga and Manila.
In 2001, BFAR regular employees operated
the CDT labs when contract with IMA
terminated. Due to logistics constraints,
only four laboratories remained operational
and these are the Puerto Prinsesa, Cebu,
Zamboaga and Manila. However, at a later
date, BFAR was able to acquire patrol vessels
equipped with several laboratory equipment
including CDT that can be relocated to
land-based laboratories.
Methods. Cyanide is recovered from fi sh
samples through distillation. ISE method
is used to quantify the cyanide in the sample.
Results are reported as mg CN/ Kg meat. To
ensure the reliability of results, the laboratory
protocols adhere to standard operating
procedures (SOPs). These SOPs are:
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•
•
•
Calibration – using standard
cyanide solutions, being the basis of
quantifying cyanide content is done at
the start of every analysis
Checking of linear response –
conducted together with calibration
since quantitative determination is
done using a linear calibration curve
Distillation of water and fi sh tissue
matrices spiked with cyanide is
conducted to check cyanide recovery
Electrode efficiency is regularly
checked according to manufacturer
specifi cations
Procedures. There are several collection
points wherein samples can be collected.
These are fi shing boats, holding tanks, and
cages. The required number of samples are
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collected at random based on the number
of fi shes to be shipped out. Submission of
samples require accompanying documents,
which are:
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•
•
Collection and submission form which
contain information directly relating
to the sample. This information
includes the names and addresses
of the fi shermen, date and place
of collection etc. Information that
accompanies the sample will enable
authorities to trace and link it to the
fi shermen/trader, especially for legal
purposes
For Palawan in particular, there is the
Certifi cate Receipt of Live Fish Taken
for Examination which contained
information on the origin of the
sample as certified by designated
authorities
If applicable, apprehension reports
are also provided to the laboratory for
added information
Issues:
Accessibility. The first issue is the
Archipelagic nature of the Philippines. Some
areas have diffi cult access to the laboratories
due to the travel time involved, especially
those coming from island areas.
From the laboratory point of view, this
archipelagic nature poses problems fi rst in the
purchase of supplies, particularly chemicals,
which have specifi c requirements during
transport. The second is the need for repair
and preventive maintenance conducted by
product engineers. In both cases, suppliers
and their respective engineers are located in
key cities like Manila and Cebu. One way to
mitigate this problem is to have spare sets
of equipment and a relatively larger stock
of supplies which will require more fi nancial
expenses.